English Courses for Teenagers

‘The Best Teenage School in Ireland’

You can study General English classes in the morning and enjoy afternoon activities as well as a full day trip on Saturdays. We have students from all over the world and Killarney is one of the most famous towns in Ireland because of Killarney National Park and all the things you can do!

Where is the Teenage School?

Teenagers are taught in Lisivigeen National School, a newly refurbished premises on the outskirts of Killarney, equipped with the most modern facilities. This is for the months of July and August. Classrooms are big, airy and spacious and there is a large sports hall for activities and end-of-week performances. Class sizes are small with on average 10 students per class (maximum 12) and there is a mix of nationalities, giving teenagers a greater chance to make friends and practice their English.

Please see A YouTube Video of our English School at Lisivigeen

Who are the teachers?

The teachers are all fully-qualified to teach English to teenagers and have had many years of teaching experience both in Ireland and abroad. They are therefore sensitive to the cultural, pedagogical and social needs of individual students.

Our teenage coordinator is responsible for the overall smooth-running of the teenage programme by looking after the general needs of teachers and students and organising all afternoon activities. This should reassure parents that although their child/children are separate from them, they are being looked after and supervised at all times by professionals. There is also a bus that operates daily transporting students between the two schools which means that it is possible for parents to meet up with their children at the Muckross school for lunch and at 5pm.

What are the English courses for Teenagers:

Course

Standard Course (GE1)*

English Plus Activities (GE3)

English Plus Horseriding (GE3A)

Content

15 hours General English in Group Class

15 hours General English in Group Class + 15 hours activities afternoons and Saturday Day Trip

15 hours General English in Group Class + 10 hours Horseriding (afternoons) and Saturday Day Trip

Timetable

Easter and Summer only
10-1pm Mon-Fri

Easter and Summer only
10-1pm/ 2-5pm Mon-Fri

Summer only
10-1pm/ 2-4pm Mon-Fri

Average group size

Easter: 1-6 students
Summer: 6-12 students

Easter: 1-6 students
Summer: 6-12 students

Easter: 1-6 students
Summer: 6-12 students

Price

€300

€450

€650

* Unfortunately we can only offer the GE1 option to teenagers who are here with their families as many host families are not available in the afternoons and the school requires that teenagers as well as small children are supervised at all times.

What is my English language level?

Teenagers will be asked to complete a short online written test before their arrival at the school. This will enable us to put them in the appropriate level. The teacher will assess their level through spoken interaction during the first morning and if they feel that the child is in the wrong level, a decision can be in conjunction with the teenager coordinator, director of the school and parents to move them up or down a level.

What English do we study?

The curriculum tends to follow a communicative approach with teachers using a methodology that emphasizes the use of role-play, situational dialogues, discussion and games to increase confidence and improve fluency. Reading and writing skills also play a part in helping the speaking as they generate and consolidate new vocabulary and grammar.

In order to reinforce the communicative and fun aspect of the course, there is a performance at the end of the week during which each class sings a song or performs a role play or sketch and awards are given for the best performance. Teenagers love this chance to compete with each other and show off their dancing, singing and/or acting skills.

What are the different English Language Levels?

During the summer we run 6 levels for teenagers:

Beginners: This is for teenagers with little or no English

Elementary: This is for teenagers who can say a few basic things in English and understand short, simple conversations. They have a minimal vocabulary and know how to create the present tense.

Pre-intermediate: This is for teenagers who can understand simple conversations and can speak a little (with mistakes) on most everyday topics. They have a basic vocabulary and know how to create the past and future tenses.

Intermediate: This is for teenagers who can speak quite well on most topics and understand the general sense of most everyday conversations. They have a richer vocabulary about everyday topics and know how to create the conditional tenses in addition to those listed above.

Upper-intermediate: This is for teenagers who still make some mistakes but can speak quite quickly and confidently on most topics including some specialist ones. They have a rich vocabulary and may know all the main tenses and some prepositional phrases.

Advanced: This level is for teenagers who are able to use the structures of English with ease and fluency and can cope confidently in most situations, socially, professionally and in higher education.